Marking the midway point of the season the MotoGP paddock head to Germany for the ninth round of the Championship at Sachsenring Circuit. With a three week break in the on-track action set to follow, the DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team are eager to finish the first half of the season on a high.
Following a tough weekend at Assen, Czech rider Jakub Kornfeil will be looking to return to the point scoring battle, whilst teammate Zulfahmi Khairuddin will be targeting a positive finish.
Situated near Chemnitz in Saxony, Sachsenring Circuit has undergone a number improvements since it first began hosting the MotoGP in 1998. Renowned for its twisty layout with a series of blind corners and elevation changes, the German circuit is both unique and challenging. Despite being one of the shortest and slowest tracks on the calendar it is not to be underestimated in its technicality, testing both riders’ skills and nerves at the same time.
Johan Stigefelt – Team Manager
“In Sachsenring we have to step it up on both sides of the garage; we cannot continue the way we have in the last two GP’s. Most recently Jakub has taken a step back which is very disappointing to see, so he needs to get back into his good form. We’ve been trying to find out why this has happened but I think it’s as much in himself. Barcelona and Assen were two circuits that he couldn’t get to grips with, so I hope that Sachsenring will be better for him. Fahmi made some progress in Assen and we could see he was listening more to his crew and doing what we asked him for, so there were definitely positives there, but he needs to start showing this with his results. I really hope we can get a good result with Fahmi before the summer break. We go to Germany with a clear target to improve from the last two races.”
#63 Zulfahmi Khairuddin
“In Assen we made a small step which was really good and I felt like I could push a lot harder with the bike. I think now I just need more kilometres to really find the limit. I like Sachsenring Circuit because last year I did quite well there throughout practice and in qualifying. The circuit is very special; there are a lot of blind corners but this is where being an experienced rider is an advantage. The bike is competitive, so now it’s up to me to be more aggressive and really improve my riding.”
#84 Jakub Kornfeil
“Sachsenring is the closest GP to my home so a lot of people from the Czech Republic come to support me in Germany. I really enjoy the atmosphere. I like the layout of the track and I think it suits my riding style well. In the past I have had some good results at Sachsenring so I’m looking forward to this race. We have to collect some more points because we have had too many races now without scoring any and this is not good. We have to be clever and fight for a good position. We have the ability and the speed so I believe we are capable of a top ten result. I’m confident we can finish in the points at this track.”
